Home > News > February 2008 > 26 February 2008

Open University and Royal College of Nursing celebrate alliance

The new alliance between The Open University and the Royal College of Nursing was welcomed by MPs and senior healthcare executives at a special Westminster launch event.

The partnership aims to initiate imaginative development and change in healthcare education and practice.

Professor Brenda Gourley, the University’s Vice-Chancellor, said at the launch event: "My ambition is to enhance patient care by helping to deliver the modern, flexible, responsive and skilled workforce that our health service requires. Since this has always been at the heart of the RCN’s mission, we know that the partnership with the RCN is the right way forward.

"This alliance enhances the potential of each organisation to reach out and draw in new learners at many different levels."

According to Dr Peter Carter, general secretary of the RCN, the new alliance has the potential to set new standards of quality and accessibility in healthcare education.

He said: "Working together, the Royal College of Nursing and The Open University will be able to make a real difference to the healthcare workforce through the delivery of top-quality, flexible learning for staff who would otherwise be unable to access higher education courses to support their careers.

"Healthcare support workers and nurses will be able to continue to earn as they learn and apply their learning to their practice for the benefit of patients and clients."

The two organisations say the alliance will enhance and extend the current OU curriculum which offers progression routes for staff through access courses to help learners into higher education, a pioneering open learning qualifying programme for nurses, and options for continuing professional development (CPD) in specialist areas.

Students are already signing up to study for the first OU/RCN awards, including a Masters programme in Advancing Healthcare Practice, and a top-up BSc Honours in Nursing Practice.

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